West Ham forward Andre Ayew will not undergo surgery as he looks to recover from a "rare" but serious thigh injury which will keep him out for three months.
Ayew, 26, suffered the injury in West Ham's Premier League opener against Chelsea on August 15.
The club confirmed the Ghanaian will not undergo surgery but is still on track for a December return.
"Andre Ayew suffered a rare but very serious thigh injury at Chelsea, which will take time to recover from," West Ham head of medical and sports science Stijn Vandenbroucke said.
"Andre will not have surgery and we have started the rehab straight away, working two times a day.
"Andre is a highly professional athlete with a positive attitude that no doubt will affect the return to play date.
"It is early to put a timeline on the rehab, but we are positive to reintroduce him in December."
Vandenbroucke also offered an update on striker Andy Carroll, who is expected to miss the next month and a half of action.
"Unfortunately, Andy Carroll, after his first good pre-season in many years, injured his knee in the game against Astra Giurgiu in Romania last week," he said.
"It was an incident where he passed the ball and then slipped on a difficult playing surface, over-stretching his knee.
"Andy has been an example at the training ground this season, working hard on the pitch and in the gym, but the reality is that he will be out for 4-6 weeks.
"One should not underestimate the mental challenge that comes with a physical injury. Andy cannot wait to start going again and he will come back strong."
